So, besides E, Baby Evan, and myself, three other family members share our home.
First is Brutus, the often-photographed, endlessly patient dog. E and I adopted him in Ohio in December 2006. He’s a mix of Labrador, German Shepherd, and mutt. His favorite pastimes include lounging on furniture, shedding generously, sampling baby spit-up when given the chance, accepting belly rubs, and charming house guests into taking him for long walks.
Patient dog is patient with Babyzilla
I’ve also posted pictures of Blushes, my cat since college. I adopted her in October 2002. Her shelter name was supposed to be Lady Katrina Von Mousington, but the staff in South Carolina asked that I keep the name they had already given her. Blushes enjoys tormenting the dog, sneaking into laps, shedding, occasionally leaving upsets in inconvenient places, briefly “escaping” only to decide the outside world is too cold and scary, sampling human food, and tolerating the baby lying on her.
Babyzilla stalks another unsuspecting victim
Finally, meet Rabbit — so named because she’s jumpy. E and I thought Blushes would appreciate a companion (Blushes originally had a brother, who belonged to my ex), so we adopted Rabbit in 2004 while living in a tiny apartment in Virginia Beach. At first we thought she loved being petted and cuddled, but it turned out she was simply too terrified to run away. In truth, she’s a rather wicked little creature, possibly possessed, and she seems to dislike E with the intensity of a burning supernova.
Since we brought the baby home, Rabbit rarely ventures downstairs and spends most of her time sleeping on the guest bed. Her favorite activities include peeing on E’s pillow, catching and tormenting mice, chewing rubber bands, drinking from the toilet, sleeping, shedding, and — it sometimes feels like — plotting our demise.
Welcome to your DOOM.
So if you ever visit our house, please pardon the pet hair — it’s part of the family.